August 5

1 Timothy 1, 18 – 19

Something to read

I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith.

Something to think about

We only need to look at the terrible abuse committed by some clerics to know that faith is not everything. Time and again we hear of apparently pious Christians falling due to dark and secret lives. Indeed, Calvin wrote that 'A bad conscience is the mother of all heresies'.

A holy life of prayer and Bible reading is of no use if we cannot tell the difference between right and wrong. Hopefully most of us know the big differences but what about the everyday minutiae? Do we shop with a conscience? Do we buy our electricity, gas or broadband service with a conscience? Some people talk about having a moral compass - do we look where ours is pointed as much as we should?

Something to do

How ethical is your life? Is there anything you can tweak? Look here for ideas and help.